The Kenneth Bae situation is a delicate one for diplomats. Bae is an American citizen, a tour operator and Christian missionary, who has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor by the North Korean government for subversion. Korea has in the past held American citizens as bargaining chips (Bae is the sixth American taken into custody since 2009).
So who do we need to solve this delicate situation? Dennis Rodman.
Okay, not a chance. But he thinks he can help.
Rodman spent time in North Korea with the dictator Kim Jong-un (a trip that didn’t play as well back here in the states), Rodman thinks they are tight and told Shanghaist he could solve this problem (via Eye on Basketball and Reddit).“I gave [Kim Jong-un] a great indication of when I’m going to Beijing soon - that’s just a hop, skip and a jump from North Korea. So basically, you know, I’m pretty sure I’ll be talking to him soon,” Rodman told Hill.
“I will definitely ask for Kenneth Bae’s release,” he said. “I will say, ‘Marshal, why is this guy held hostage?’ I could try and soften it up in that way.”
“If the Marshal says, ‘Dennis, you know, do you want me to let him loose?’ and then if I actually got him loose - and I’m just saying this out the blue - I’d be the most powerful guy in the world.”I’m just shaking my head, I’m at a loss for words.